Fewer colic operations ..

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Orangehorse

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Report that fewer colic operations are taking place in this week's H & H. The theory is that people have less money to splash, or is it that owners have decided that they don't want to put their horses through the operation?

I have always thought that past a certain age I would not, but have known a horse well in its 20s survive 2 operations in a week and go home apparently very well. Vets were surprised too.

However, a friend's horse aged 20 had the operation and then died in the recovery room - vet's opinion that he was just a bit too old.
 
Is it reported that there are fewer colic cases overall, or same amounts yet just less operation?

Over last few years there seems to have been a bigger drive on less grain more fibre. Maybe feeding habits have just improved?
 
Good point ihatework it's all about interpretation.
I would not put any of mine through colic surgery I've seen to many bad outcomes and impaired animals come out the other side .
It's not about money it's about personal choice , of course the vets love doing colic surgery it's exciting it's dramatic it's expensive but owners have the right to choose ,I have been lucky I have only had one end up in horsepital with colic luckily she responded to lorry therapy and pooed during the two and half hour trip to horsepital they monitored her for 36 hours and discharged her .
I would not have paid for surgery for her .
 
The types of colic requiring operations tend to be ones that have nothing to do with management. Surgical colic is usually due to physical caused such as strangulation of the gut or parts of the gut being displaced, or internal growths, rather than diet. So I doubt the reduction in surgeries has anything to do with there being fewer colic cases. My gelding had to be PTS after surgery because he was paralysed due to being on his back so long and being a massive horse. I would have to think very carefully before choosing to operate on a horse for colic again. Maybe if the horse was very young and had a good chance of long term recovery, but then maybe not. It's impossible to know for sure until you are faced with the decision.
 
Also colic is a common cause of death in older horses and far more horses are living Well in to their twenties and these are probably the ones where owners are most likely to decide not to go ahead with surgery .
 
I also wonder if it has been going on long enough now for people to have seen enough cases to realise that the survival rate at one year is, from the stats I can find, under sixty percent, and some of those will still be having a bad time of it.
 
I've had two youngsters operated on for colic - neither was diet or management related. Very sadly one was euthanised in recovery but the other made a superb recovery. Even though his was a pretty straight forward colic op (no resection needed) the bill was over my £5000 vet limit although that was largely due to the VAT. I wouldn't put an old horse through colic surgery though.
 
cptrayes said:
I also wonder if it has been going on long enough now for people to have seen enough cases to realise that the survival rate at one year is, from the stats I can find, under sixty percent, and some of those will still be having a bad time of it.
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That is what I was thinking really.
 
Personally I would never put a horse through colic surgery. Personal choice based on the horses that I have known to have been through them - they tend to colic more easily afterwards, they take a long long time to recover, most ride differently after and the vets do tend to say you can op once, twice if you are persistant and lucky but never a third time.
 
Orangehorse said:
Report that fewer colic operations are taking place in this week's H & H. The theory is that people have less money to splash, or is it that owners have decided that they don't want to put their horses through the operation?

I have always thought that past a certain age I would not, but have known a horse well in its 20s survive 2 operations in a week and go home apparently very well. Vets were surprised too.

However, a friend's horse aged 20 had the operation and then died in the recovery room - vet's opinion that he was just a bit too old.
Click to expand...

Not sure I'd put my horse through it, he has arthritis which was controlled through bute for many years and is currently controlled through 'no bute' with the odd sachet of bute since he's come back into work. But I still feel his limbs wouldn't cope with the box rest. He is 17 and fit as a fiddle. The actual operation itself wouldn't be of particular concern to me it would be more the enforced box rest I would worry about.
 
cptrayes said:
I also wonder if it has been going on long enough now for people to have seen enough cases to realise that the survival rate at one year is, from the stats I can find, under sixty percent, and some of those will still be having a bad time of it.
Click to expand...

This^^ and possibly less people insuring their horses and/or not being bullied by insurance companies into ops that only benefit the vets.
 
I've always said that I would never put my horse through surgery for colic. Last year I had to make the division for real, and it was one of the first things I said to the vet when she confirmed it was colic.

He spent a week in hospital being given supportive therapy only, then I lost him to peritonitis the day he was due to be discharged.

Looking back at the initial symptoms, it is highly likely he had botulism, and in a way I wish I had him pts immediately. He was 19 at the time and had been in excellent health in all of the 8 years I owned him.

I now have two youngsters (one 3 and one 7) though I never planned to have two youngsters at the same time! It is a tough thing to decide, but I would still go with the "no surgery."
 
In my view it's a personal choice based on what's best for your horse and to a certain extent, finances - especially if they're not insured. My 27yo SJer (HoL) has had 2 surgeries, at 19 and 25. Both for a pendunculated lipoma, which cannot be prevented and not insured. The first time he had 3m small intestine removed, resection, displace caeceum etc etc., the second time a bit more straightforward (although he did get a massive hock infection in hospital - but that's a whole other story!) He's a real fighter and I just had to give him the chance, both times, or I would have been struggling with my conscience. He did come back to full competition work after the first one, but had semi retired anyway by the second one, although he does still do the occasional hack.
However, I would not necessarily make the same decision for all our others - I think I could only make the decision with all the facts/circumstances at the time.
 
My 3yo colicked last week and isn't insured - but if she was I wouldn't have sent her for surgery because she hasn't travelled enough and she would stress horrifically. We were very lucky that we have a fantastic supportive vet who came out and treated her every 5 hours until we made it out the other side.
I don't know if I would consider it with my other horse though - he wouldn't be too stressed but I would be worried about them going down in the box on the way :/
 
cptrayes said:
I also wonder if it has been going on long enough now for people to have seen enough cases to realise that the survival rate at one year is, from the stats I can find, under sixty percent, and some of those will still be having a bad time of it.
Click to expand...

My thoughts exactly.
Like a natural peak of cases have passed now, and people are either looking to alternatives or simply put off by a bad experience - so choose to PTS in more extreme cases.
My girl had a twisted gut, operated, 1 month of intense re-hab, grazing in hand etc. Her 1st half hour alone in the paddock and she Coliced again. Seeing her so depressed after the operation was something I never want to see again - Yes that is selfish, I know, and with another horse it might do better - but it's my decision.
 
The survival rate is horrendous for colic surgery - my understanding nowadays is that 80% of horses who go in for surgery won't survive the next 2 years.

I've had a 5yo operated on in the past. We got him there at light-speed as I was there when it happened - even with a 720 degree twist, all tissue was still alive so there was no removal necessary. He was young, fit, with zero health issues. He died an hour after coming out of surgery, because his heart just gave up. Vet said it was the stress levels that had caused it. Several thousand pounds later, and he was still gone.

I'd never put another one through it. Ever.
 
cptrayes said:
I also wonder if it has been going on long enough now for people to have seen enough cases to realise that the survival rate at one year is, from the stats I can find, under sixty percent, and some of those will still be having a bad time of it.
Click to expand...

I had a mare who was operated on for colic at the end of October 2005. She left the hospital a week later and I was over the moon and the hospital told me she was one of the lucky ones as the success rate is 3 out of 5. I had to have twice weekly checks from my own vet and he soon brought me back down to earth. He said the statistics were that 3 out of 5 horses left hospital alive and that was classed as a success story. He told me that a very high percentage of horses are pts within 6 months of having the operation.

6 months to the day that Tilly came home she was pts. She had recurring colic and a 2nd operation was not an option as the first had cost in excess of £8,000. I would now never put another of my horses through surgery.
 
My older mare had colic surgery about 7 years ago - it was sand colic, despite being on Sand-out. She recovered brilliantly and hasn't had colic since. I wouldn't put her through it again as she's older now and obviously not insured for colic but I'm very glad I did at the time. If my other horse had colic and needed surgery I would make the decision at the time given all the information available.
 
It's so good to hear of horses that have had colic surgery, recovered and gone on for years after with no problems but I'm afraid these seem to be the lucky few. When my 6yr old tb (ex racehorse I'd had for about a 18 mths at this point with no health issues) colicked violently the vet advised it was probably a twisted gut and it was either operate or PTS then and there, I felt we had to give him a chance, he was young, strong, healthy, we were insured so we went for it. Following the operation (no twisted gut, no gut needed removing), the aftercare was very hard on him - he became depressed on box rest, then the sutures became infected, then he began to have recurrent episodes of mild colic maybe once a week, then x2 a week, then nothing for a couple of weeks, then again violent colic and neither of us could take any more and he was PTS about 2 months from the original colic and operation. I wish with all my heart I could have saved him the pain and suffering, looking back I feel so guilty. I will never put another horse thru such a big operation and every night when I say good night to my current horse I say a little prayer that I am never faced with that choice again.
 
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